Hebrews 10 29

Hebrews 10:29 kjv

Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

Hebrews 10:29 nkjv

Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

Hebrews 10:29 niv

How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

Hebrews 10:29 esv

How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

Hebrews 10:29 nlt

Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to us.

Hebrews 10 verses

Hebrews 10 29 Meaning

Hebrews 10:29 presents a stark warning regarding the grave consequences for those who willfully turn away from the Christian faith after having received the knowledge of the truth. It describes three distinct and severe affronts against God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit, each intensifying the offense. First, it speaks of contemptuously rejecting Jesus as the divine Son, despising His person and authority. Second, it highlights the desecration of the saving work of Christ, considering His precious sacrificial blood, which established the new covenant and provided sanctification, as ordinary or defiled. Third, it points to a deliberate and outrageous insult directed at the Holy Spirit, the divine agent of grace and sanctification, implying a final and defiant rejection of His convicting and empowering work. The implied penalty for such deliberate and conscious apostasy is far more dreadful than any under the Mosaic Law.

Hebrews 10 29 Context

Hebrews 10:29 is part of a severe and pivotal warning passage (Heb 10:26-31) within the Epistle to the Hebrews. The broader context of the letter emphasizes the superiority of Christ's person and priesthood over the Old Testament figures and institutions, and the sufficiency and finality of His once-for-all sacrifice in contrast to the repetitive, incomplete sacrifices of the Mosaic Law. The audience, primarily Jewish Christians facing persecution, was tempted to revert to Judaism, viewing it as a safer or more familiar path. The author has just exhorted them to draw near to God with a true heart (Heb 10:22), hold fast their confession (Heb 10:23), and consider how to stir one another up to love and good works, not forsaking assembling together (Heb 10:24-25).

Verse 29 intensifies the warning given in verse 26 regarding "willful sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth." It describes the egregious nature of this "willful sin" by elaborating on the three aspects of high-handed apostasy: despising Christ, profaning His blood, and insulting the Holy Spirit. The historical context indicates that turning back from Christ to the old covenant sacrifices would essentially be a public rejection of Jesus as Messiah and His atonement, thereby treating Him as "common" or of no more value than animal sacrifices which could not truly take away sin. This passage functions as a stark warning to persevere in faith, highlighting the immense spiritual peril of such a profound and conscious betrayal of divine grace.

Hebrews 10 29 Word analysis

• Of how much sorer punishment:
  • Original: cheironos timōrias (χείρονος τιμωρίας). Cheironos means "worse" or "more severe."
  • Significance: This implies a comparison to the punishments under the Old Covenant Law (e.g., stoning, execution for blasphemy or high-handed sin against God, Deut 17:12). The new covenant brings greater revelation and a more powerful means of salvation, thus the punishment for rejecting it is commensurately "sorer."
• suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy:
  • Implies a rhetorical question. The author invites the reader to self-assess the severity of the offenses. The answer is obvious: a far worse punishment.
• who hath trodden under foot the Son of God:
  • trodden under foot: Original: katapatēsas (καταπατήσας). It means "to trample down, to show contempt, to scorn, to despise."
  • Significance: This is not mere neglect but a deliberate, contemptuous, and public act of rejection. It signifies despising the Person and divine authority of Jesus, treating Him as dirt or rubbish.
  • the Son of God: Refers to Jesus Christ in His divine nature and unique relationship with God the Father. Rejecting Him means rejecting God's ultimate revelation and means of salvation.
• and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing:
  • counted... an unholy thing: Original: koinon hēgēsamenos (κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος). Koinon means "common, ordinary, defiled, profane." The opposite of hagios (holy, sacred). Hēgēsamenos means "having considered, having regarded."
  • Significance: This describes seeing Christ's sacrificial blood, the very means of atonement and new life, as nothing special, contaminated, or merely on par with common things or defiled animal blood under the Old Covenant, which had to be purified. It dismisses its unique efficacy and divine power.
  • the blood of the covenant: Refers to the blood of Christ that sealed the new covenant (Jer 31:31-34, Lk 22:20), providing forgiveness and access to God, unlike the ineffective blood of animals.
  • wherewith he was sanctified: Original: hēgiasthē (ἡγιάσθη), meaning "was made holy" or "was set apart."
  • Significance: This phrase is crucial. It identifies the offender not as someone external to the faith, but as one who has personally experienced the cleansing and consecrating power of Christ's blood, becoming a participant in the new covenant. The gravity lies in someone who has known salvation's benefits then profaning the very source of their own cleansing. It highlights the deeply personal betrayal.
• and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace:
  • done despite unto: Original: enybrisas (ἐνυβρίσας). This is a strong verb meaning "to insult, outrage, treat with insolence, to pour contempt upon."
  • Significance: It's an active, deliberate, and malicious act of insult or blasphemy. This is not grieving the Spirit (Eph 4:30) but overtly defying Him.
  • the Spirit of grace: Refers to the Holy Spirit, who is the giver of God's grace, conviction, regeneration, empowerment, and sanctification. This affront means actively rejecting the Spirit's work, refusing His leading, and blaspheming His very presence which offers grace and enables faith. This links to the unforgivable sin (Matt 12:31-32) which is a final, determined resistance against the Holy Spirit's convicting power to lead to repentance.

Hebrews 10 29 Bonus section

This verse underlines the concept that knowledge increases responsibility. The former covenant carried serious penalties for disobedience, but those offenses were against a temporary system foreshadowing a greater reality. The New Covenant, founded on Christ's ultimate sacrifice and sealed by His blood, represents the very core of God's redemptive plan. To despise this is to spurn God's final and most perfect provision for salvation, leaving no other means of reconciliation. The emphasis on the "Spirit of grace" highlights that such a person is not merely turning away from a doctrine, but from the very Person and ongoing work of the Holy Spirit who sustains faith and offers empowerment for perseverance. The specific mention of "he was sanctified" does not necessarily imply eternal security lost but points to an individual who has at minimum partaken of outward fellowship, experienced some illumination, and received benefits associated with Christ's work, such that their repudiation is a profound and inexcusable betrayal of sacred truth and grace they personally knew. It reinforces the call for vigilance and enduring faith to avoid such a tragic end.

Hebrews 10 29 Commentary

Hebrews 10:29 portrays the perilous spiritual state of one who, after genuinely encountering and participating in the Christian faith, willfully repudiates it. This verse is not describing a Christian who struggles with sin or backslides temporarily. Rather, it delineates the act of "apostasy"—a deliberate, high-handed rejection of Christ and the work of salvation. The threefold description intensifies the gravity: contempt for Christ's divine Person, profanation of His perfect, covenant-making sacrifice, and outright insult to the Holy Spirit who applies God's grace. Each action indicates a conscious and definitive reversal of their initial reception of truth, signifying a total break from God. The phrase "wherewith he was sanctified" is key, indicating that this is a warning to those who have truly experienced the setting apart by Christ's blood, emphasizing the severity of turning against what they once received. Such a betrayal, born of hardened unbelief and defiance, incurs a judgment far more terrible than any under the Mosaic Law because it despises the ultimate sacrifice for sins and the very agent of divine grace, leaving no other recourse for atonement. The intent is not to condemn struggling believers, but to awaken all to the eternal consequences of deliberate, knowledgeable rejection of Christ as the unique Savior and the Spirit's life-giving power.